Slicing knife gauge



May 28, 19'57 D. c. D. coLlccl sLIcING KNIFE GAUGE:

Filed July 3, 1956 Donato C. D. Colicci IN VEN TOR.

United States Patent() SLICING KNIFE GAUGE Donato C. D. Colicc, Astoria,N. Y.

Application July 3, 1956, Serial No. 595,729

3 Claims. (Cl. 341-284) This invention pertains to slicing knife gaugesof the type constituting the subject matter of my U. S. Patent No.2,722,743, issued November 8, 1955 on which the present deviceconstitutes an improvement.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide an improvedslicing knife gauge of the aforementioned character comprising aslidably mounted, spring pressed, yieldable guide rod which, uponcontact with a bone, cutting board, etc., will retract and permit theblade to cut through the meat, bread or other product being sliced.

Another important object of the invention is to provide an improvedgauge of the character described comprising a shield or guard forprotecting the hand of the user from the cutting edge of the knife.

Other objects of the invention are to provide an improved gauge of thecharacter set forth which will be relatively simple in construction, oflight weight, compact, reliable in use and which may be produced atreasonable cost.

All of the foregoing and still further objects and advantages of theinvention will become apparent from a study of the followingspecification, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing whereinlike characters of reference designate corresponding parts throughoutthe several views, and wherein:

Figure l is a perspective view, showing an improved slicing gaugeembolying the present invention mounted on a knife;

Figures 2, 3 and 4 are views in transverse section taken, respectively,on the lines 2 2, 3 3 and 4-4 of Figure l; and

Figure 5 is a View in horizontal section, taken substanitially on theline 5-5 of Figure 3.

Referring now to the drawing in detail, it will be seen that theembodiment of the present invention which has been illustrated comprisesa metallic channel bar 6. The channel bar 6 is adapted to be mountedlongitudinally on the back of the usual blade 7 of a conventionalslicing knife which is designated generally by reference character 8.Toward this end, the channel bar 6 has threadedly mounted therein atlongitudinally spaced points a plurality oflsetscrews 9 which areengageable with the knife blade 7 in the manner shown to advantage inFigure 2 of the drawing. Depending from the inner end portion of thechannel bar 6 is an integral shield 11 which terminates at a pointclosely adjacent the cutting edge 12 of the blade 7. The shield 11protects the fingers of the hand of the operator which grips the handle13 of the knife 8 from the cutting edge 12 of the blade 7.

Projecting laterally from the end portions of the channel bar 6 is apair of brackets 14 having elongated openings or slots 15 therein.Tubular guides 16 in the form of elongated, externally threaded metallicsockets are mounted for vertical and horizontal adjustment in the slots15. Segmental nuts 17 are threaded for adjustment on the guides 16 belowthe brackets 14. Wing nuts 18 are threaded on the guides 16 above thebrackets 14 and coact with the nuts 17 for securing said guides inadjusted Y end portions 20 of a' guide rod 21. kThe guide rod 21 isnormally adjacent to and substantially parallel with the cutting edge 12of the blade 7. Coil springs 22 in the guides 16 yieldingly resistupward movement of the guide rod 21. The end portions 20 of the rod 21are longitudinally recessed or notched, as at 23, to accommodate stoppins 24 in the guides 16.

It is believed that the use of the improved device will be readilyapparent from a consideration of the foregoing. The channel bar 6 issecured on the back of the knife blade 7 through the medium of thesetscrews 9. The coil springs 22 normally maintain the guide rod 21 inthe position of Figure 3 of the drawing. It will be noted that in thisposition the rod 21 is located slightly below the horizontal plane ofthe knife edge 12. Horizontal and vertical adjustment of the rod 21 maybe readily had through the medium of the nuts 17 and 18 on the guides16. Should a bone, for example, be encountered while slicing meat, theguide rod 21 contacts said bone and is caused to move upwardly therebyagainst the tension of the coil springs 22, permitting the knife tocontinue until it engages said bone. The retractibility of the guide rod21 also permits the present device to be used satisfactorily at anysuitable point on a cutting board rather than at an edge only thereof.As hereinbefore stated, the shield 11 protects the fingers of the handwhich grips the handle 13 from the cutting edge of the blade 7.

The tubular guides 16, which may be of aluminum,

stainless steel, Lucite or other suitable plastic, are from two to sixinches in length and one-sixteenth of an inch thick with light threadsone-eighth of a ninch deep which, if desired, may extend the length ofsaid guides. The guide rod 21 and its end portions 20 may be square andof aluminum or stainless steel, chrome plated, and the guides 16correspondingly shaped and oversize to accommodate same. Then, thebrackets 14 may be of aluminum or malleable or stainless steel.

It is believed that the many advantages of an improved slicing knifegauge constructed in accordance with the present invention will bereadily understood and although a preferred embodiment of the device isas illustrated and described, it is to be understood that changes in thedetails of construction and in the combination and arrangement of partsmay be resorted to which will fall within the scope of the invention asclaimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

l. A slicing knife gauge including, a channel bar to be mountedlongitudinally on the back portion of a knife blade, a pair of bracketsprojecting laterally from said bar, said brackets having slots therein,vertical guides mounted for horizontal and vertical adjustment in theslots, a substantially horizontal guide rod including upturned endportions slidably engaged in said guides, and coil springs mounted inthe guides for yieldingly resisting upward movement of the guide rod.

2. A slicing knife gauge including, a channel bar to be mountedlongitudinally on the back portion of a knife blade, a linger shield onsaid channel bar extending adjacent the cutting edge of the blade,lateral brackets projecting from the channel bar at spaced points,vertical guides mounted for vertical and horizontal adjustment on saidbrackets, threaded means for adjusting said guides on said brackets, asubstantially U-shaped guide rod having its end portions slidablyengaged in said guides, `coil springs in the guides yieldingly resistingupward movement of the guide rod, and means in the guides for positivelylimiting the sliding movement of the end portions of said guide rodtherein.

3. A slicing knife gauge including, a channel bar to be mountedlongitudinally on the back portion of a knife blade, brackets projectinglaterally from the end portions of said channel bar and having slotstherein, a pair of vertical, externally threaded guides mounted forvertical and horizontal adjustment in the slots, nuts threaded on saidguides above and below the brackets for securing said guides in adjustedposition, a guide rod substantially `paralleling the cutting edge of theknife blade and includ- No references cited.

